Blackbird
by erskine exposed
Summary: Neji makes Tenten angry when he talks about Fate. What can he do to make her forgive him? Rated for some language. SONGFIC ONESHOT


**Eheheh... I don't even know what to say about this, but here ya go. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the song Blackbird. I make no money at all, let alone from this**_. sigh_** Life is hard.**

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Blackbird singing in the dead of night

_Take these broken wings and learn to fly_  
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They had been training for several hours now, and Neji Hyuga was only beginning to tire. His Byakugan lanced eyes scanned the area for his partner, as he was sure she was tired, too.

As if reading his thoughts, a barrage of sharp, metal objects came hurtling towards him. He couldn't help but smirk, he was always underestimating her. However, the Hyuga prodigy was to good to be hit by a mere frontal assault. Instead, he kaitened, and sent the projectiles hurtling away. In his slightly dizzy state he failed to notice the shuriken that was heading straight for his neck. Knowing that he was too off balance to kaiten again, he simply ducked.

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_All your life  
You were only waiting for this moment to arise_  
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He heard the shuriken whistle past, and he thought that he had ducked low enough. It wasn't until he felt the warm drizzle of blood seep down his cheek. Neji froze. Tenten hadn't been able to draw his blood since he had been recovering from genjutsu that was used on him by a missing nin.

When Tenten saw that her sparring partner wasn't moving, she gracefully leaped down from her hiding place in a tree. She paced toward him cautiously, not wanting to catch him off guard, even though she knew he would sense her approach.

"Neji?" her voice questioned. "Are you all right?"

He just stared at the gash on his arm and murmured, "How can I hope to improve when Fate is so decidedly against me?"

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_Blackbird singing in the dead of night  
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see_  
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Tenten bristled at the mention of "Fate." She had honestly thought that Uzumaki had knocked some sense into the boy, and she couldn't help admiring him for something she had failed to do in all the years she'd known Neji.

"God damn it, Neji!" she yelled. When he looked up at her with surprise in his eyes, she couldn't resist going on. "When are you going to accept that your life is not controlled by Fate or Destiny?"

His eyes narrowed, but he only replied with a, "Hn."

Tenten's blood was boiling. She wanted to scream, yell, pin him to a tree with her kunai, anything that would elicit some kind of response from him. However, she knew he wouldn't respond to any of those tactics, so she went another route.

"Neji, as much as you may want to believe it, and as much as that seal may add to your argument, you are not a caged bird! When are you ever going to learn?"

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_All your life  
You were only waiting for this moment to be free._  
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She was about to add more when she caught sight of Neji's pale eyes. They were completely blank, devoid of any emotion. She hated when his eyes looked like that. After so many years of knowing him, Tenten had become exceptionally good at reading the nin's emotions. However, when they were so empty, she had no idea what he was thinking.

"Tenten, you must not realize how stupid you just sounded." She flinched at his harsh words, but he still continued, "Of course I am a caged bird. What else would this seal symbolize? I am hindered simply because I was born to a second son. Once my Fate was decided, I had no chance at escaping this life. I may be known as the 'Hyuga Prodigy,' but I will never be able to live up to that name due to my status as a Branch House member."

The kunoichi stared at him in horror, not believing that _he_ really believed all those things.

He saw her face and smirked, "To answer your question, Tenten, I have learned. I learned long ago that my cage will forever obstruct my chances at achieving the rank and prestige I deserve."

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_Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly  
Into the light of the dark black night._  
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"You…" She began.

He gazed back at her serenely.

"You are a…"

He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"You are a selfish_bastard_!" She seethed, unable to control her anger.

Neji had to admit, he was surprised by her course of action. He had expected her to admit she had been wrong and apologize. But, the hardness in her amber eyes told him that this was most definitely not the case.

"It is not your clan's fault that you are not progressing at the speed you want. The only person you can blame for that is yourself! You should know that you are the only person that knows how far you can go. Neji, you have to push at _your_ limits, not the boundaries the clan gives you! You don't have a cage, Neji, you can fly as high as you desire!" Tenten was yelling, trying to get her message through the genius's thick skull.

"Hn," was all she received as an answer.

She reeled back, as though he had punched her in the gut without warning. Tenten just couldn't take it anymore. His sullen silences, and one track mind, were annoying at times, but she had been dealing with this for years. It was wearing her thin, and finally, the girl just snapped. The least he could do was respond properly when she took the time to properly yell at him.

Shaking her head, she murmured, "What else should I expect from him? He's never really cared what I had to say."

Neji was gazing at her with cold eyes, not really registering the amount of emotional pain he'd inflicted on his team mate. He heard her words, but was not sure what to make of them. Of course he valued her opinion, he just never said so out loud. Thus, he was mildly surprised when the girl ran from their training grounds, trying to hide the tears shining in her eyes.

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_Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly  
Into the light of the dark black night._  
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Weeks passed. Tenten still refused to speak to Neji, and Neji was still confused as to the reason to her silence. Not that he really tried to figure it out.

His long time sparring partner didn't show up for their training sessions, and snubbed his attempts to ask her why she missed their training.

Tenten had taken to training with the other members of the Rookie Nine, nothing could make her train with Gai and Lee. She found it immensely refreshing to train with people who appreciated her talents, and she even ended up helping Kiba and Naruto improve their aim. They were both so flattering in their praise of her skills, she could barely stop smiling when she trained with them.

She also got more time to hang out with the other kunoichi, now that she wasn't on her rigorous training schedule. It was nice for her to feel more like a girl, and less like a battle ready weapon all the time.

Despite her newfound happiness, Tenten never once forgot her reasons for being so angry with the Hyuga Prodigy. It wasn't just that he disregarded her that one time. It was a long series of his social ineptness that finally drove her away. If he couldn't see that all she wanted to do was help him, then he could survive without her.

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_Blackbird singing in the dead of night  
Take these broken wings and learn to fly_  
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Neji was irritated. Actually, he was beyond irritated. He was ready to blow a gasket. If Tenten didn't agree to train with him soon, he was going to go insane. For the past month he had been training with Hiashi and Hanabi, and that wasn't going well. Usually he just ended up helping to teach Hanabi the techniques the Hyuga Clan used.

He wasn't quite desperate enough to go train with Gai and Lee. Yet every so often, he would wander down to his old training site, and just sit, reminiscing. Neji wasn't quite sure what urged him to do this, but he felt oddly comforted when he thought of the many hours he and Tenten had spent training.

Once, he had tracked down Tenten, intent on making her explain her extended absence. However, when he found her, he wasn't too pleased with what he saw.

It was one of the training grounds set up with row upon row of targets. Tenten was there, flinging a heavy arsenal into the distant bulls-eyes. However, she was going much slower than usual, paying careful attention to her form. It was then that Neji noticed the two other shinobi in the clearing with her.

Uzumaki and Inuzuka were watching his former sparring partner avidly, a little too avidly if he had anything to say about it. For some indescribable reason Neji felt his blood ready to boil when the dog nin "accidentally" threw his kunai backwards, and Tenten had to come over to help him. She stood with her body pressed against his, guiding all of his movements. Neji didn't miss the flirtatious glance Inuzuka cast over his shoulder at the girl, as his kunai sailed straight into the target. When Uzumaki pulled the same stunt, her laughter pealed through the training area.

Neji was astounded. Tenten had never laughed like _that_ with him. It was more annoyed sighs, and angry huffs when they trained together.

All of a sudden, an irrational anger came over the Hyuga, and it took all of his self control not to run into that clearing and jyuuken the younger shinobi to death.

_Well fine,_ he huffed internally, _if she doesn't have time to train with me, but can fit in these two dead lasts, I'll find better people to train with._

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_All your life  
You were only waiting for this moment to arise_  
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Neji had failed miserably in his quest to find a training partner better than Tenten. He gave up training with Hiashi, as he could barely stand the man when they weren't speaking. Hanabi had gotten too obnoxious to even be around. Finally, Neji had given in and gone to Gai and Lee's training grounds. However, when he got there, and saw what they were doing, he immediately left. Neji would never be able to look at grapefruit the same way again.

As a last resort, he decided to go and ask Hinata to train. He was outside her door, and about to knock when he heard voices inside. Never one for common social courtesy, Neji went in, thinking he recognized the other voice.

Sitting with Hinata was indeed the girl he had been missing. Tenten. He was about to say something when she abruptly stood. She muttered an apology to Hinata, and walked to the door.

At the entrance to the room, she stopped and looked Neji in the eye. In her gaze he saw a mix of emotions, most prominent were anger and sadness. He looked back, unsure of what his eyes should be telling her. Obviously not finding what she was looking for, she shook her head, smiled grimly, and walked away.

"N-n-niisan, she only wanted to help you," came the soft voice of his cousin.

He turned to regard the girl with eyes that matched hers.

Knowing that she had gained has interest, Hinata continued, "Tenten always strived to help you excel, niisan." Her stutter was gone for the moment, as she was too caught up in her emotion. She had also gotten frustrated with her cousin, as he always focused on his boundaries, and never looked past them.

Neji was scrutinizing the younger kunoichi. "Hinata-sama, you of all people should understand the burden that this seal places on Branch House members."

It was true, she did know. As heiress, it would be her job to place the seals on all Hyugas not fortunate enough to be born into the Main House. As such, when she was officially made head of the clan, it would be her duty to consign her own sister to that life.

She sighed and answered, "Yes niisan, I understand. But what you don't seem to grasp is that the only true cage you have, is the one you've made for yourself."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Neji said coldly.

At this Hinata smiled and simply said, "Our eyes may see many things that others would miss, but everyone has their blind spot."

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_You were only waiting for this moment to arise_  
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Neji was sitting outside, considering Hinata's advice. He still was unsure of what to make of her words, but he considered what Tenten had said, too. The common belief seemed to be that he didn't know how to look past his current limits, and work to become better.

Neji didn't really think this comment could apply to him, but he thought about what the two kunoichi could mean by it. He had to admit, he sometimes went on a war path when it came to hating his clan, and the limitations they placed on his progress. But he didn't think he dwelled too much on it, did he?

Neji thought back, and shook his head. So Tenten had a point. She couldn't go around and start yelling at him whenever she got annoyed. However, Neji had to take that though back, too. He was lucky that she put up with him for as long as she did. After seeing her train with Uzumaki and Inuzuka, he realized that there were many who would be more than willing to work with her.

It was with these thoughts on his mind that Neji found he wasn't sitting anymore, but standing outside of a certain kunoichi's apartment. He knocked on the door, and was slightly surprised to find that she was home.

The girl didn't say anything, but just stared at him with wary brown eyes.

Neji took a deep breath to steady himself, and said, "Tenten, I'm sorry."

He was ready to take flight.

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_You were only waiting for this moment to arise_

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**Well, that turned out way more angsty than i originally intended. It's also way more Nejicentric than I had planned. I'm sorry to any Neji lovers out there who think I was making fun of him. (I wasn't, I love him!) I just kind of thought that it's always the geniuses that are socially inept. Let me know if you think anyone was too out of character. **

**I'm not sure what age they are, my guess is post timeskip, but I know that Neji was mostly off of his "I hate the world, my clan sucks" kick. Again, review and let me know.**

**Much 3, katieoso **


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